Air China and China Southern Airlines will be the second and third Chinese airlines to use the domestically produced COMAC C919 passenger aircraft. Delivery of the first aircraft is scheduled for Wednesday, state broadcaster China Central Television reported.
Chinese aircraft manufacturer COMAC is seeking to gain a foothold in the passenger aircraft market, which is currently dominated by Western giants Airbus and Boeing and is challenged by aircraft shortages and the recent safety crisis at Boeing.
The C919 began domestic service in May last year with China Eastern, which currently operates seven of the jets on domestic routes.
China’s three largest state-owned airlines have each ordered 100 C919s, and COMAC said it has received more than 1,000 orders in total.
Last week, China Southern announced on social media platform Weibo that it would integrate its first C919 into its fleet by Wednesday.
The C919, which can carry up to 192 passengers, competes with the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A320neo.
This year, COMAC has increased its sales and production targets and is actively marketing the C919 internationally, with a focus on Southeast Asia and the growing aviation market in Saudi Arabia. The company is also working on developing a wide-body aircraft design.
According to Zhongtai Securities, COMAC is expected to reach an annual production rate of 100 aircraft by around 2030, and total production will exceed 1,000 jets by 2035.
Although Airbus will deliver 735 commercial aircraft in 2023, industry experts say COMAC faces significant challenges in gaining a foothold in international markets, particularly if it does not obtain key US or European Union certifications – which COMAC is actively pursuing – or have more fuel-efficient models.
